Pttls_-_Assignment_1.1

Review what your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher would be in terms of the teaching / training cycle. The ‘Training Cycle’ has five constituent parts; identifying needs and planning, designing, facilitating, assessing, and evaluation. (Ann Gravells 2008) As a trainer I identify the training needs of the students, both in respect of the syllabus requirements from the organisations point of view, and from the point of view of the students and their preferred learning styles. I do this by referring to the existing syllabus produced by the organisation, or where no syllabus exists by producing a syllabus in consultation with other trainers based on our professional / operational knowledge of the requirements of the role to be undertaken by the students. I give consideration to using a varied style of teaching to where possible cater for visual learners (seeing), aural learners (talking and listening) and kinaesthetic learners (doing), as by doing this I understand my students will be more motivated to learn. Included at this stage of the ‘Training Cycle’ I include some form of initial assessment to ascertain any prior knowledge or skills that students may already possess, which assists in tailoring teaching methods to the individual needs of the student. I do this by holding an informal question and answer session during the students introduction of themselves at the start of the course. Where practicable I send out a pre-course questionnaire to the student with joining instructions to help identify their preferred learning style. This allows me to consider different training methods to provide the best learning for the student. I identify what content should be included, and what could be included within the training. By referring to the syllabus and using my operational experience to consider what else may be included on the course to further enhance their performance in the relevant role the student will be undertaking. I put any reasonable adjustments in place to enable student learning, by ensuring that all PowerPoint presentations are set against a pastel yellow background, and by using a minimum size 11 Arial font. I prepare and set out a scheme of work, and session plans. I ensure that I have copied and prepared the appropriate number of handouts, for the students. I am aware of my boundaries as a trainer, for example it is inappropriate to get too personal with a student. This is unprofessional and could cause discord with other students, which would cause a block to learning. I am aware that my role as a trainer puts me in a position of authority and I am mindful that I should not present my own views and values to students, but rather encourage the student to reflect, and develop their own views / values. I prepare the venue with regards to suitability, and health and safety. I do this by conducting a dynamic risk assessment of the venue, and equipment / materials to be used during the session. I facilitate learning in a manner appropriate to the student involved in the learning process by considering the previous experience and knowledge of the student. A vital part of the teaching process involves my assessing the understanding of the students with regards to the subject taught. These assessments can be formative, i.e. ongoing, or summative, i.e. at the end. An example of a formative assessment that I employ on the Police Mechanical Vehicle Examiners Course, would be that throughout the course students would be asked to conduct an examination of a specific vehicle system, I discuss the individual student responses with them and give feedback. An example of a summative assessment is that required for the Drug Identification and Recognition Course. This is a final pass / fail exam to test students knowledge in order to attain a recognised qualification. The last part of the ‘Training Cycle’ that I employ is to evaluate the course package and my own training methods / style. I hold an end of course one to one debrief where I invite student comment on course content, relevance to their role, teaching methods and any other issues. All students are required to complete an end of course assessment form. In addition I ask students to email me with any issues they discover while performing their role that they feel were not covered in sufficient detail on the relevant course. Information gained from student feedback can then be used to alter the next course to better meet the needs of both the student and the organisation. I reflect on my performance and teaching methods so that I can make positive changes to improve my teaching methods, and change material for future sessions. This ensures that my teaching is always relevant and current, which is an important part of engaging the students.